"The Berlin-based clarinetist/composer/performer Michael Thieke is equally at home across a broad range of musical environments, such as experimental song forms, collectively composing projects, improvising collectives, and music on the fringes of jazz. He is exploring the minutiae of sound, timbre and noise, with a particular interest in microtonality and related sound phenomena, and with a preference for long-term collaborations and collective work.

Some of his current Projects are: The International Nothing (with Kai Fagaschinski cl, CD on ftarri), The Magic I.D. (with Christof Kurzmann, Kai Fagaschinski, Margareth Kammerer, CD/LP on ErstPop and staubgold), The Pitch (with Boris Baltschun organ, Koen Nutters b, Morten Olsen dr, LP on gaffer), Der lange Schatten (with Håvard Wiik p, Antonio Borghini b), Voutchkova/Thieke (with Biliana Voutchkova vl), Splitter Orchester, Toulemonde/Thieke (with Olivier Toulemonde acoustic objects), Hotelgäste (with Derek Shirley b, Dave Bennett g, CD on schraum, LP on self), Michael Thieke Unununium (with Luca Venitucci acc/p, Martin Siewert g, Christian Weber b, Derek Shirley b, Steve Heather dr, Eric Schaefer dr, CD on charhizma), motif (with Atle Nymo sax, Håkon Mjåset Johansen dr, Eivind Lønning tp, Ole Morten Vågan b, Håvard Wiik p), Porta Chiusa (with paed Conca cl, Hans Koch cl), Spirit Songs (with Mike Cooper voc/g, Elio Martusciello el, Fabrizio Spera dr, Luca Venitucci acc/el.), Roman Tics (with Burkhard Beins, Luca Venitucci, CD on Cathnor), Cowards Bend The Knee (Live Music in different setups with the film Cowards Bend The Knee by Guy Maddin), Gebhard Ullmann's The Clarinet Trio (with Gebhard Ullmann bass clarinet, Jürgen Kupke clarinet) and Uli Gumpert Workshop Band."

A musician, improviser and composer who has toured and recorded widely, and in many collaborative projects with dancers, directors, poets and mixed media artists. For several years he has been part of the notorious Zeitkratzer Ensemble and has worked with a wide range of improvisers, composers and musicians, including Mike Cooper, Peter Kowald, Otomo Yoshihide, John Zorn, Axel Dorner, Alvin Curran, Jon Rose, Butch Morris and Radu Malfatti.

"Martin Siewert (born 11 May 1972) is a German guitarist and film composer.

Siewert has been living in Vienna since the age of 10. He studied guitar at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. As a guitarist, he started his public performances in 1995. In his early performances, he played with Herwig Gradischnig, Freier Fall, Franz Hautzinger, and his band Duckbilled Platypus. With this band, he recorded two albums for the label Extraplatte.

He began to separated himself from the jazz idiom and developed an abstract sound on guitar. He became a member of Efzeg with Burkherd Stangl and Hauf and Komfort. He invited Dafeldecker, Hinteregger, Wayne Horvitz and Tony Buck to the group Komfort. In the group Trapist, he played with Joe Williamson and Martin Brandlmayr. On My Kingdom for a Lullably, he played with Christof Kurzmann, Axel Dšrner, and Billy Roisz, the video artist of Efzeg. He was a member of the guitar quartet SSSD with Taku Sugimoto, Werner Dafeldecker, and Burkhard Stangl.

He has worked with Oskar Aichinger, Christian Fennesz, Wolfgang Mitterer, Elliott Sharp, Franz Koglmann, Thomas Lehn, Karlheinz Essl, Ken Vandermark, Michael Sarin, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Kammerflimmer Kollektief, Georg GrŠwe, Frank Gratkowski, Michael Vatcher, and Klangforum Wien. He has composed music for, ballet, film, theater, remix recordings, and sound art."

"Derek Shirley, multi-instrumentalist (Kontrabass, cello, drums, electronics) based in Berlin. Active in the improvised/experimental music scene, focusing on low frequency minimalism in both improvised and composed realms. Performs actively with such groups as Monno, Vladislav Delay Quartet, HotelgŠste, MEK, obliq, coal oven, ruby3 and unununium. And in various collaborations with such musicians as: Sven Ake Johansson, Chris Abrahams, Steve Heather, Anat Cohavi, Tobias Delius, Antoine Chessex, Lucio Capece, Mika Vanio, Michael Thieke, Robin Hayward, Justin Haynes, Dave Bennett, Allesandro Bossetti, Tony Buck."

Christian Weber: Doublebass, composition, electronics. Born in Zürich/Switzerland

1990 discovery of the Doublebass
1993-96 studies at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts Graz
1995-98 studies at the Bruckner Conservatory Linz with Adelhard Roidinger
1998 studies with Ernst Weissensteiner, Vienna
2000-06 operative and artistic management of the WIM Zürich
2000- music for film & theater, soundinstallations
2001 grant from the city of Zürich; composition commissioned by ProHelvetia
2003 Zürich culture award (Werkjahr)
2004- extensive touring all over the world
2007-13 guest lecturer at the University of Berne
2013- lecturer at the University of Lucerne



regular appearances

Sudden Infant, ensemble für neue musik zürich, Christy Doran's Bunter Hund, Die Welttraumforscher


festivals
Druga Godba (Ljubliana), Jazzfestival Zagreb, Jazz Meeting TelAviv, Jazz-Meeting Jerusalem, Jazzfest Wiesen, Hörgänge Wien, Jazzfestival Schaffhausen, AMR Festival (Geneva), Ice On Fire (Kuwait), Festival de Jazz Grenoble, Jazzfest Wien, unerhört!, Ulrichsberger Kaleidophon, Uncool Poschiavo, Jazzfestival Mulhouse, Wien Modern, Moers Festival, LEM (Barcelona), Jazzherbst Konstanz, Taktlos, Vision Festival (NYC), FIMAV (Victoriaville), Konfrontationen Nickelsdorf, Umbrella Festvial Chicago, Jazzfestival Willisau, Jazzfestival Belgrade, Fri Resonans Trondheim...


toured in
Switzerland, Austria, Germany, England, Ireland, Poland, Israel, China, Taiwan, Belgium, Italy, Slovenia, Kuwait, Croatia, Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Serbia, Spain, Japan, Russia, USA, Canada...


works/worked with
Lina Allemano, Bruno Amstad, Tim Barnes, Johannes Bauer, Ludwig Bekic, Han Bennink, Claudia Ulla Binder, Jeb Bishop, Andres Bosshard, John Butcher, Antoine Chessex, Gene Coleman, Collegium Novum, Lol Coxhill, Chris Dahlgren, Tim Daisy, Jacques Demierre, Bertrand Denzler, Robert Dick, Roberto Domeniconi, Michel Doneda, Christy Doran, Paul Dunmall, Markus Eichenberger, Ellery Eskelin, Peter Evans, Kai Fagaschinski, Pierre Favre, Peter K Frey, Charles Gayle, Gegenklang, Michael Griener, Andy Guhl, Uli Gumpert, Boris Hauf, Franz Hautzinger, Stefan Heckel, Gerry Hemingway, Gerhard Herrmann, Charlotte Hug, Ben Jeger, Russ Johnson, Jason Kahn, Vera Kappeler, Mazen Kerbaj, Hans Koch, Ritsche Koch, Jonas Kocher, Tomas Korber, Peter Kowald, Jesse Kudler, Joachim Kühn, Oliver Lake, Joke Lanz, Urs Leimgruber, Tony Levin, Werner Lüdi, Paul Lytton, Rudi Mahall, Phil Minton, Norbert Möslang, Michael Moser, Jon Mueller, Günter Müller, Simon Nabatov, Lucas Niggli, Noid, Evan Parker, Dave Phillips, Simon Picard, Wolfgang Puschnig, Christian Reiner, Wolfgang Reisinger, Paul Rogers, Roger Rotor, Olaf Rupp, Jorge Sanchez-Chiong, Julian Sartorius, Eric Schaefer, Philip Schaufelberger, Matthias Schubert, Willem Schulz, Irène Schweizer, Christine Sehnaoui, Sharif Sehnaoui, Elliott Sharp, Martin Siewert, Markus Stauss, Steamboat Switzerland, Michael Jefry Stevens, Co Streiff, Michael Thieke, Dieter Ulrich, Tom Varner, Colin Vallon, Walter & Sabrina, Matthew Welch, Chris Wiesendanger, Bo Wiget, Michel Wintsch, Stephan Wittwer, Nils Wogram, Christian Wolfarth, Michael Wollny, Nate Wooley, Katsura Yamauchi, Raed Yassin, Otomo Yoshihide, Michael Zerang, Matthias Ziegler, Alfred Zimmerlin, Philip Zoubek...

"Steve Heather (Composer/Performer/Musician) is a freelance musician (drums, percussion, electronics) and composer, performance and installation maker based in Berlin. Born in Melbourne and studied percussion/improvisation at the Victoria College of the Arts and performance art at Das Arts/Amsterdam.

Steve Heather's current music projects/bands vary from avant guard, free jazz to noise, drone rock and prog fitness disco include: STIFF LEATHER, TUB, NEU TRAINERS, THE STILL, BOOKLET, MRS CONCEPTION, RAFT, SHELTER, THE PEELED EYE and ASHES. Steve was the co founder of the Amsterdam based electo acoustic music series, Kraak Geluiden and is also is the co-founder of the new media/ performance group SXS ENTERPRISE with Siegmar Zacharias and Xander De Boer.

As sound designer, composer and performer, Steve Heather works regularly in the fields of dance, theatre, film new media, performance and has worked with The Netherlands Dance Theatre, Sandra Parker Dance, Scapino Ballet, Ivana Müller, United Sorry and Dansgroep Amsterdam.

He performs regularly at European Festivals with performances, among others, at Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin) Haus Der Berliner Festspiele (Berlin), BRUT (Vienna), Grand Theatre (Gronigen), Sophiensaele (Berlin) and Volksbuhne (Berlin). Steve Heather has undertaken numerous artistic residencies in institutes such as Les Bains (Brussels), sophiensaele (Berlin), Steim (Amsterdam), STUK (Leuven), Grand Theatre (Gronigen), Dance House (Melbourne)."

"The drummer and composer Eric Schaefer lives in Berlin and works worldwide with different ensembles of his own and as a sideman. The range of his musical expression is wide and combines influences from Jazz, contemporary music to post-rock, dub and noise. He is writing pieces for orchestras, piano-trios and jazz-rock-bands. The use of gongs and small percussion from all over the world as well as modular synthesis broaden the spectrum of Schaefer´s sound-possibilities. His work is documented on numerous albums and is broadcasted in radio-shows and on television."